Settlers of Catan strategy

Cafe Society
1

I recently tried playing this game. I have only played twice so far, with other novice players. The wikipedia article says that the game does depend on skill and is played at high levels, but I am not quite sure what kind of strategies you would use. It seems to me that you don’t have that many choices, besides the obvious ones, and the choices you do make are pretty much insignificant compared to the luck involved.

The strategies I have used so far is only to try to choose the areas that have number values that are likely to be rolled while either focusing on diversity of resources or near monopoly on one resource.

Could someone give me examples of higher levels of strategy? Maybe give examples of a game and the reasoning behind each choice?

2

In the basic settlers game, there’s not a whole lot of advanced strategy, although there is some. Once you start adding in the expansions, it gets a lot more interesting. I don’t even bother playing settlers anymore without at least the seafarers expansion.

But in basic settlers, a few things to watch for are:
Look for places where there’s a high probability number near a port of the same resource. 2:1 trades are real nice especially when you rake in that resource on a 6 or 8.

Go for number diversity as well as resource diversity. Despite all probability, it is still a dice game, and random strings of luck happen. Long stretches without a 6, or 10 5’s in a row can and do happen. So I like to make sure I minimize the chances of getting nothing, by claiming as many numbers as possible. (e.g., 5 and 9 are theoretically equal, but if you have a 5 already, take the 9.)

Trading is the big key. Don’t trade unless it helps you, and preferably helps you immediately, so you can build before the robber steals away what you just traded for. Don’t trade with anyone who has 9 points. Act pathetic when you’re behind, and people may give you more stuff. Drive hard bargains, especially for things that are in shortage, trying to get at least 2 cards for 1 prized resource if it’s been shut down for a while.

Don’t forget the power of the cards. Monopoly is DEVASTATING if timed right. Especially if you do stuff like Innocently asking, “Anyone have wheat to trade? Do you have wheat? Do you have wheat?” Then if you get a yes, or a “not that I can trade” call monopoly on wheat and cackle maniacly.

Realize the relative value of the different resources. In basic settlers, sheep are the least useful. Brick/Clay and Wood are useful early game, with Wheat and Rock more useful in the late game. So if your initial start has to be missing something, it’s safer to miss rock or wheat, than wood or brick.

3

The main point to the basic game (there are innumerable variations that have spawned in the subsequent years, all based on the same underlying concept) is to accumulate victory points. But you can accomplish that various different ways. So the strategy involves deciding which combination of victory points you intend to go after. This basically depends upon what you expect to attain during the course of the game in resources from your settlements/cities.

Suppose in the placement phase you end up with settlements near the following hexes: Forest (6), Hill (5), Pasture (9), Mountain (10), Plain (3) and Desert. You know from rules of probability that you will have the best chance (6/36) of getting timber on any roll of the dice, followed by clay and sheep equally (5/36), followed by ore (4/36), followed by grain (3/36). You cannot therefore expect to win with a strategy that requires a large amount of grain to accomplish, without first managing to expand in such a way that you increase your chances of grain. But with excellent timber and brick production potential, you might start out right away trying for the Longest Road VPs (I have a friend who does this all the time).

My difficulty in this game always is the same: I never manage to identify the point at which my strategy should shift to meet my changed circumstances. This is true for all the Catan variation games I have played. I’m still making roads when I should be making cities, etc.

It must be emphasized that there simply is no one single strategy or strategy combination that will always win this deceptively complex game. :slight_smile:

4

Oh man, this thread is bringing back memories.

First of all, placement strategy. There are two basic strategies. First you can follow a road/settlement strategy. Second is the city/dev card strategy. In the first you focus on placements that will get you wood and brick. In the second you focus on stone and wheat. It’s generally preferrable to choose one or the other. If you pick placements that give you stone and brick but not wood or wheat, for instace, you can’t build anything on your own. Other players can then drive a hard bargain for resources that you find scarce.

I find that beginners generally undervalue dev cards. You can go a long way with a few well-played dev cards. Buying a stack of three of four dev cards early in the game can be a surprisingly smart move.

Robber placement is another vital strategy element. If you hammer someone too hard with the robber, they may get pissed and hammer you back just for revenge.

In the end, Settlers is a game that depends both on luck and skill. The best placements in the world don’t help if your numbers don’t get rolled.

5

More than you ever wanted to know about Settlers: BoardGameGeek.

Check the Strategy Articles in the Game Forum & Articles section.
For myself, i usually go for roads for a while, then switch to cities if I can get a corner on wood & brick or wheat & ore. Those pay well in trade.

6

If my own experience is any guide, no matter what your approach, your soul will writhe in frustration while the dice come up with all numbers except the ones you have covered, plus a seven during the brief times you’ll actually seem to be winning.

7

Between the two “Best _____” cards, I generally go for for the Largest Army over Longest Road. It’s all too easy to get caught in a road-building war late in the game, and if you end up losing it, you just wasted a massive amount of time and resources chasing after nothing. On the other hand, playing Soldiers benefits you whether you ultimately have Largest Army or not. The overall strategy is to focus on getting development cards, which will inevitably be either Soldiers or something even better. So long as you have decent resources (with a focus on ore, wheat, or sheep, obviously) and pay enough attention to your territorial expansion and city builds so as to avoid being swamped entirely, it’s a win-win-win-win situation.

8

Hehehe, amen to that. Of course, on occasion, it will be your opponent who writhes under the punishment of the RNG gods. :smiley:

9

You can often cut off an opponent’s expansion by crowding in within three edges of his city/settlement. Since he must place settlements two edges away from all other cities and settlements, he then cannot then place between his city/settlement and yours. Keep an eye out for those golden opportunities where an investment in an extra road or taking a spot with slightly less optimal resources will completely and utterly screw your neighbor.

Be sure not to screw the whole game out of a resource. If it’s a brick-poor game, for example, it might seem like it’s a good idea to shut down your opponent’s brick hex. But that means less brick will exist in the world, and it will be harder for you to trade for it. Inevitably, one realizes that one has made this error at the beginning the longest sevens-drought in recorded history.

Don’t neglect the political aspect of robbery. There are certain people who feel “picked on” when you put the robber on one of their hexes repeatedly. Or once. They will then launch a vendetta upon on you and robber you mercilessly for the rest of the game. It’s not rational of them, and you could argue that it just plays into their childish strategy to refrain from robbering them to avoid their little temper tantrums, but even a reasonable player can become vindicitive if they feel that they’re being singled out for robbering, and it’s something you should take into account. Also, sometimes you can do somebody a favor by moving the robber away, and accumulate brownie points for future robber movement or trading consideration. “You want a sheep and a rock for your wheat?! But . . . I moved the robber for you!” Again, this all hinges on the personality of your opponent, and naturally you shouldn’t be doing favors for people who are in the process of kicking your ass.

Don’t forget about the rare victory-point victory. The Magic Card Strategy is not to be entered into lightly, but if you’ve been backed into a corner and are rock-screwed in the endgame, remember that it takes three rock for a city, but one for a magic card. Sheep-wheat-rock, sheep-wheat-rock, my friend, can be the path to victory. Use knights to robberate your enemies, get Largest Army, and pray for those precious, precious VP cards.

10

I had a friend who used this very vidinctiveness as a victory tactic in all kinds of games. He favored peacefiul expansionism. He attempted to create a vast, peaceful empire.

However.

The very first person to attack him became the S*** list itself. His sole intent was to destroy them completely. It didn’t matter who or what they were. They more or less always lost. He lost too - for the firt two or three games. After that, no one ever wanted to take him on unless they had already won the game, giving him plenty of room to move.

11

This will lead to a longer game, but I don’t see how this is not good for you. It’s better that no one has brick than if one player has monopoly on brick.

12

Well, playing this way will give you a higher probability of getting some resources. But if you choose two 9’s, you will get that much more when you finally get resources. IMO it’s better to have a shot at winning the game than settling for 2nd or 3rd.

13

I disagree. Big bursts of resources seem great, but they put you at risk for losing half your cards to a 7, or targeting via robber. A steady stream of less goods lets you continually build a bit at a time rather than waiting with an empty hand until you hit the jackpot. And in this game, the more you build, the more you get, so it behooves you to build as fast a possible. In other words, I’d rather have a settlement on turn 3 and and another on turn 6 as opposed to suddenly getting two settlements on turn 6 (or even turn 5). While this exact situation won’t come up that much, it’s just an example of why I prefer the steady stream to the big jump.

(Of course in Cities & Knights I go for the opposite strategy to make best use of the “whiner” power. (the flip power where you get 1 of anything when you don’t produce.))

14

Minor correction: It’s better that no one has brick than if one player who isn’t you has monopoly on brick.

15

Robber placement in my experience can be extremely political. You can make nonaggression pacts; you can sometimes exact tolls from people not to move the robber onto them; you can gain favorable trade negotiations. And, of course, you can do the same thing when others are playing the robber.

I tend to be a very, very permissive trader: I make it clear that I’m willing to trade with folks under most conditions, and generally they’re more willing to trade with me.

If I get a 2-for-one port, I set a port tax on it. Say I’ve got the wool port: on my turn, anyone can give me 2 wool plus one card of their choice, and in exchange I’ll give them one card of whatever resource they want (by using my port to make the exchange). I’ll rescind privileges for someone who’s about to win, or if someone’s beating up on me. Similarly, if someone’s willing to make me a good deal, I’ll give them limited or even unlimited free port privileges: don’t race me toward that sweet spot right there, for example, and I’ll give you access to my port for three free trades.

Never, ever gloat about being about to win. Gloating can focus the opponent’s intentions, and they will look more carefully for a way to win on their own next turn. Play your cards extremely close.

Daniel